Last winter, Kellie Lynch, founder and managing editor of the American yaoi (boys' love) publisher Iris Print, launched the newcompany in an effort to expand the genre of boys' love in the U.S. and gain recognition for the genre.
A year later, the Southern California company has published three books: a prose novel, A Strong and Sudden Thaw; a collection of short stories entitled Connections; and an anthology of short graphic narratives, When Worlds Collide. Yaoi is manga that focuses on stories about very attractive men obsessed with each other and is generally created by women for women readers. The genre can include explicit sex.
"I wanted to create a publishing company that would take these unconventional romance stories that traditional publishers may not...risk [taking]," said Lynch, adding that the material she publishes depends largely on submissions. Submission guidelines can be found on the Iris Print website. Lynch recently posted a call for submissions for an upcoming fairy tale and fantasy anthology, which she expects to have ready by summer, and received over 100 prose short stories.
"That market is out there," Lynch said of boys' love prose, "but [fans] are forced to search through mainstream books to find a romance that they're interested in." She points to the slash fiction market as an example. Slash fiction pairs well-known male characters with one another in romantic narratives. There's a long history of using Captain Kirk and Spock of Star Trek in fan slash fiction. For Lynch, reaching that market is one of the main objectives of Iris Print. "It's a reasonably small underground market, but I think it's bigger than people realize," she said.
Lynch is still looking for a distributor for her prose books (the graphic novels are distributed through Diamond), but has found success by selling her products online through Amazon.com and the Iris Web site. Out of the three books, the novel A Strong and Sudden Thaw is the frontrunner in popularity.
Asked how a 330-page book sans pictures fits into a market dominated by Japanese comics, Lynch says that she's found an underserved readership. "A lot of readers of prose books are not fans of manga," she explained. "I know a lot of slash fans who aren't into comics or the manga aesthetic." She added, "Graphic novels are very good for the quick read. But I think a lot of people want to be sucked into a story, to escape for a few hours. Graphic novels don't do that. After half an hour, you're done."
Novel submissions have been low this year, but Lynch remains optimistic. "I'm hoping we can do another one by the end of this year." But 2007 is shaping up as a year for graphic novel publishing for Iris, with two series coming in the spring: Paintings of You by Mia Paluzzi and Chris Delk and Tina Anderson's highly anticipated love story, Only Words.
The company has also launched a Web comic, Jigsaw Hearts, on its Web site. Lynch calls it "a fun little college story about a classic love pentagon." Three new pages will be added weekly and the story arc is expected to run through this year. Depending on interest, Lynch says she may publish the comic in book form or let it continue as a Web comic.
"It's a really nice medium for giving new writers or inexperienced artists a chance to see what they can do—without publishing an entire book," Lynch said.
